


Smells Like Magic

by flyingoverthehorizon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Muggle/Wizard Relations, dog walks, muggle sehun, wizard jongin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-02 00:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19188259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingoverthehorizon/pseuds/flyingoverthehorizon
Summary: When Jongin spotted the white dog barking at the owl in his garden he had no idea that the dog's owner would become someone so important to him.Alternatively, Sehun is eternally embarrassed for Vivi's unruly behavior.





	Smells Like Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [enigmaticma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticma/gifts).



> First and foremost, I hope this is what you asked for >< I tried to fulfill your wishes and I hope I did them justice!
> 
> Secondly, I want to thank the Mods! They have been nothing but sweet and very understanding when life got in the way. This fest has been such a lovely experience! Thank you!!

Jongin is sitting at his kitchen table writing a letter to the Ministry about what the actual rules are for keeping magical animals. He knows there are a lot of rules for the wild variety but his boss keeps putting pets in small cages for long times and Jongin does not approve. He finds it hard to bring up with his boss so he wants to make sure whatever claims he will do will be in accordance with the Ministry's recommendations. 

 

He is furiously writing down a question of how long an owl, legally, can be kept in a travel size cage when actually  _ not _ travelling. 

 

_ Arf! _

 

Jongin's thoughts are interrupted.

 

_ Arf! Arf!  _

 

There is a dog outside his little garden, leaning on its front paws against the, very cliché, white picket fence, and barking loudly at the owl in the old cherry tree. Jongin cannot tell if the dog is happy or upset but the owl looks very displeased. It's a well behaved owl, though, and she is patiently waiting for Jongin's letter. It could also be the promise of a treat that is keeping her here, despite the loud dog. 

 

Next to the dog is a man. The man looks to be in his early twenties and is dressed in what looks like sweats, a thin jacket and a baseball cap. What is most noticeable however is how uncomfortable he looks. 

 

He keeps looking around him as if checking if anyone has noticed his dog barking, which Jongin obviously has, and trying to get his dog to be quiet. He tries pulling gently on the leash. Nothing happens. He seems to be trying to get the dog's attention by talking to it, or calling its name, Jongin assumes. 

 

Soon the man starts digging around in his pockets, still talking to the dog. He brings out treats, which momentarily stops the barking. He tries to get the dog to walk away from Jongin's garden, but the treats seem to only being able to silence the barking and the dog seems intent on staying right where it is. Eventually the man picks up the dog and walks away. 

 

Jongin chuckles. That was something he hasn't seen before. 

 

Not that Jongin knows much about dogs. To his knowledge there aren't many magical dogs and he has never met any of the ones that are. And since he only works with magical animals he hasn't had much of an incentive to learn more about the non-magical ones. 

 

The man that was with the dog was very entertaining. His slightly panicked behaviour when trying to distract and calm the dog was very amusing to Jongin. 

 

With a smile Jongin decides to go back to writing his in-depth inquiry to the Ministry.

 

\--

 

"Come on, Vivi."

 

Sehun had set Vivi down when he thought they were a safe distance from the owl in the tree. Vivi seems to be wanting to walk now, but not without being bribed with treats. He keeps looking back the way they came from. 

 

Sehun had been so happy to get out of there. It was the most embarrassed he has been in a long time. Why, oh, why did Vivi have to start barking at a random person's backyard the one and only time Sehun tried to switch things up and walk behind the building instead of their usual route in front of it. He now regrets that.

 

"I tried to make things more exciting for you, Vivi. And now look where that got us. Well, mainly me because you don't seem to regret your actions. I guess it got a little too exciting," Sehun says as he waves a treat around to make Vivi follow him a little further. 

 

But why was there an owl in that tree? Sehun has never seen an owl in real life before, let alone during the day. Aren't they supposed to be nocturnal? And why was it in someone's backyard? It doesn't make any sense to Sehun.

 

\-- 

 

Jongin is heading out to get some additional groceries. He usually uses his small fireplace and shops for food in Diagon Alley or gets it delivered but there are some muggle food he just can't help getting. For the record, muggles have amazing soda, and said soda is the target for today's venture out into muggle world. 

 

He steps out of his apartment on the first floor, locks the door and heads down the corridor towards the front door out of the building. Meanwhile he checks that he has his wand in his chest pocket, and his wallet in his back pocket. Just as he steps out of the building he notices that he forgot to tie his shoes. Typical him. He squats to tie them, mindful to do it out of reach from the door in case someone would come out of it while he's tying his shoelaces. 

 

He shifts to the other foot and when he's just about to tie the actual knot he notices someone walking down the street a couple meters away from him. Someone with a white curly-furred dog. He looks up and unintentionally lets an "Oh?" slip out. 

 

The guy stops and looks at Jongin, a confused look on his face. 

 

Jongin feels like he needs to explain, panics and says "I saw your dog bark outside my garden the other day."

 

The guy's eyes grow big. And after a moment he blurts "Oh, I'm so sorry if we disturbed you! I don't know what got into Vivi, but he just wouldn't stop." He looks incredibly embarrassed.

 

The dog, Vivi, decides then to go up and say hello to Jongin, who is still squatting on the ground, shoelace still not tied. "Uh, it's no problem..." Jongin trails off when the dog curiously sniffs his hand and then puts his front paws on Jongin's left knee. It catches Jongin completely off guard when the dog starts to furiously sniff at Jongin's chest and he topples over and lands on his butt, dog still sniffing at his chest. 

 

The owner of the dog quickly rushes over, spilling apologies all over the place. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what has gotten into him. I'm terribly sorry! Vivi, what are you doing?!" He lifts Vivi off Jongin and helps him up. 

 

"Are you okay?" 

 

"Yeah, I think so. I have never met a dog so eccentric." Jongin doesn't say that he hasn't met many dogs at all.

 

The man rubs the back of his head. "He's usually not like this. He is usually well behaved." 

 

Vivi has now occupied himself with sniffing at Jongin's shoes. One of them is still untied. 

 

"Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Sehun. Can I do something to make up for my dog's unruly behaviour?"

 

Jongin shakes his head. "Oh no, you don't have to worry about that." He bends down to give tying his shoe a new go. "Right, I'm Jongin," he says when he stands up again. "I have to head out now but it was nice to meet you. Both of you." He looks down at Vivi and smiles a little. 

 

"Yes, of course. Sorry for keeping you," Sehun apologizes and he and Vivi take off in the other direction than Jongin is going. Jongin pats his chest pocket to make sure his wand is okay. It thankfully is.

 

\--

 

Vivi is unusually eccentric today, weaving back and forth on the street in front of Sehun, tugging at the leash and sniffing everything. Sehun makes a mental note to take him to a park soon and walk him on a long leash to let him run all he wants. 

 

As of right now they will just have to make do with the normal route with an extra round around the block. Sehun also hopes that pulling out one of the treat puzzles could work for draining some energy. 

 

They have gotten to the house where Vivi barked at his heart’s content at that owl. Sehun is still not over the embarrassment.

 

Isn’t it just his luck that the guy living in the apartment with the garden, Jongin was his name right, walks out the door just as Sehun and Vivi walks past? And isn’t it just his luck that Vivi tugs more than before on the leash, insisting on going up to the man? Sehun doesn’t want to choke Vivi so he has to oblige. 

 

Jongin seems to notice Vivi before looking up and seeing Sehun. He smiles in recognition and Sehun feels his cheeks heat up. Why does he have to be remembered for his dog’s rude behavior?

 

“Hey,” Jongin greets. “Out on a walk?”

 

Sehun thinks that is pretty obvious, but he is not daring enough to be snarky to someone he does not know. Instead he just replies with “Yeah.” He could have added that they usually take this route and walk by here at least five times a week, but he would rather Jongin didn’t know. He is already The Guy With The Barking Dog and doesn’t need to also be The Guy That Walks By Jongin’s Apartment Building Every Day. 

 

As if Jongin had read his mind he asks, “Do you walk by here often?” and Sehun curses his inability to tell even the smallest lie.

 

“Yeah, pretty often.”

 

“Oh, I haven’t seen you around here before that one time last week.” Jongin is leaning down to pet Vivi who seems delighted to have his ears scratched. 

 

Sehun wonders what that is supposed to mean? He doubts he would have remembered Jongin if he saw him on the street since he passes by so many people while walking Vivi, it would be impossible to remember them all. It is not that Jongin isn’t good looking or anything, he very much is, Sehun is just not the best at remembering faces.

 

“I am sure I would have remembered a dog this cute,” Jongin continues as he scratches Vivi under his chin, just where he likes it.

 

Oh, that is what he meant. Sehun almost feels a little stupid. Of course he would catch more attention with a dog, than if he were to walk alone.

 

“We usually walk pretty early in the day. I try to get the long walk done in the morning so he stays content for the rest of the day.”

 

“That makes sense.” Jongin stands up straight again, tapping his chin. “I usually head out in the afternoon.” He seems to realize something. “Oh, I really should go. I have somewhere to be,” he excuses himself.

 

“Sorry, don’t let us hold you,” Sehun replies. 

 

Jongin walks off with a wave in their direction and Sehun is a little confused. Since when do they know each other?

 

\--

 

Jongin makes it a thing to run errands in the morning, just to hopefully run into Sehun and Vivi again. Vivi is really friendly and although Jongin has only pet him twice he really enjoyed it. Vivi might be the first dog Jongin has officially met but he has made a wonderful first impression and Jongin wants to know more dogs now.

 

Sehun also seems nice, but he doesn’t say much. So far he has said “sorry” more than anything. 

 

Jongin hums happily as he walks out the door. No Vivi or Sehun in sight today either. Last time he saw them was earlier this week, but he had to hurry off to his weekly magic performance before properly talking to Sehun. He had gotten to pet Vivi, though, but he suspects that it is not custom to pet someone’s dog on several occasions without knowing their owner. 

 

Today he needs to pick up some supplies for next week’s performance. Last time he had managed to burn some of the colorful tissues, and since he was in public he wasn’t able to do a proper extinguishing spell so now half of his tissues are singed. He has been doing this long enough for it to look like it is part of the performance, but his supplies did have to suffer. 

 

Usually he performs somewhere in Hongdae or Dongdaemun on a weekday so it’s not too crowded. He does pretty simple tricks and it is for two reasons. He can’t use his wand much and he can’t be too spectacular or else he might draw too much attention and risk exposing the magic community. The Ministry would  _ not _ like that. 

 

The Ministry don't like street performances, period, but tolerates it if it is responsibly handled. The Ministry understands that witches and wizards living in the muggle world sometimes are in need of muggle money, even if they would prefer if the issue was handled in other ways. But that is unofficial of course. The Ministry does not condone crime, not even when it is muggle laws being broken.

 

In all honesty, Jongin does not really like the Ministry. They sometimes do an okay job. Other times it is down right bad. Like the rules for keeping magical animals. There are so many loopholes Jongin imagines he could get lost forever in them, never knowing where he'd come out on the other side.

 

He lets out a frustrated sigh.

 

He needs to send them another letter, demanding some type of clearing up of this mess. There are magical animals suffering!

 

He forcefully pushes the thoughts away. No need to think more about this at the moment. He will be pouring out plenty of frustration into his letter anyway, no matter how much he agonizes over it now.

 

Now to the problem at hand. Let's get to the party store and find those colorful tissues he needs to replace his fire-eaten ones with.

 

\--

 

Sehun does not know why he even expects to have any luck anymore. It has all flown out the window a long time ago. Thinking about it, last time he was lucky was probably when he got Vivi as a puppy. The dog can be a brat but he is a very loving brat.

 

Bratty dog aside, there is a now familiar face heading their way. It's Jongin and he is happily waving at them. Sehun feels betrayed by Vivi when his brat of a dog starts to excitedly pull on the leash as soon as he sees Jongin. No one is on Sehun's side.

 

He hates to admit it but as soon as Vivi reaches Jongin, and he reaches down to pet Vivi, Vivi is  _ so happy _ ! and Sehun can't help but smile. It is possible that his smile is  _ very _ wide. But can you blame him? His dog is happy, that is all a dog owner wants!

 

It is not like Sehun hates Jongin or anything. It is just that the reason they started talking is still very awkward to Sehun, even if it has been almost a month and they have met and talked several times since then. Also, it does not help that Jongin is always so polite and smiley. Sehun feels completely thrown off by him. But Vivi really likes him.

 

When Sehun finds himself outside Jongin's door two days later this is what he tells himself. Vivi likes Jongin. That is the one and only reason he is standing outside Jongin's door, ready to ask him to come along on a walk.

 

\--

 

Jongin is in the middle of writing yet another of those damned letters to the department for magical creatures at the Ministry when there is a knock on the door.

 

He puts down the quill, rubs at the furrow between his brows and stands up to go to the door. He is not expecting anyone and most would not knock like that anyway.

 

When he opens the door the first thing he sees is a flustered Sehun, and the second thing is an excited Vivi who  _ demands  _ that he is not neglected!

 

"Oh," Sehun lets out. "Is this a bad time?"

 

Jongin feels a smile spread on his face as he relaxes. "No, not at all."

 

"Oh... okay. I... or, well, we wanted to ask if you wanted to come along on a walk?" Sehun seems unsure, as if he feels like the question is inappropriate. He looks like he regrets asking and seems to be about to take it back when Jongin replies, "Yeah, I'd love to. It seems like fun!"

 

"Oh, great," Sehun responds, clearly not prepared for that answer.

 

"Let me just put away my stuff and I'll be ready to leave," Jongin explains as he heads inside the apartment again. "You can come inside while you wait."

 

Jongin is pretty sure that there is no magic operating anything in his home at the moment. It should be safe to let Sehun step inside. Besides, it is just the hallway and it is very rude to leave someone waiting on the doorstep.

 

He leaves the parchment paper, the ink horn and the quill on the table. He will get back to that when he comes back home. He does remember to put the lid on the ink, though. He  _ can _ use magic do rehydrate it if it dries but it is easier to just close the container.

 

He picks up his wallet, one of many muggle habits he has adopted, and is just about to go put on his jacket and shoes when he remembers the owl sitting in the tree outside, waiting for a letter.

 

"Shit," Jongin curses under his breath. He will bribe her with food and then she will hopefully be content with staying put. He gets some ham from the fridge and goes out on the backside lawn. He whistles a little to get the bird's attention, and once he does he tosses small pieces of the meat at the owl. She is quick to catch and gulp it down. Afterwards she looks very content and closes her eyes. Jongin is pretty sure that means she is settling down to rest. Then it shouldn't be a problem to go for a walk.

 

When he comes back inside and puts on his jacket and sneakers, Vivi almost makes him fall over. It seems like it's something Vivi is very fond of doing. Sehun is unsuccessful in stopping him until he promptly picks him up. Vivi doesn't mind. He looks happy in Sehun's arms.

 

Finally they manage to go outside. Sehun seems to have something on his mind so Jongin lets him take his time to say something.

 

Finally Sehun opens his mouth and carefully asks, "So... I know you have an owl in your backyard, but how come?"

 

Jongin chuckles. He obviously cannot tell Sehun the truth. "It seems to like to sit there." Technically it is not a lie. She prefers sitting in the tree over any other spot Jongin has suggested.

 

“Oh,” is all Sehun replies with. After a few moments he continues. “I had never seen an owl before. Well, I had on TV, but not for real. I didn’t know they were in cities.”

 

Jongin smiles to himself. “Usually they don’t. The one in my backyard is one of the exceptions, I guess.” Once again not a lie. 

 

He has gotten used to only telling part of the truth to muggles. It is part of living in the muggle world. Initially it felt completely normal to not be quite honest with muggles. Muggles are very different from witches and wizards after all. Recently Jongin has started to maybe think differently about that. What is it that makes them so different from each other? Talking to Sehun has made him think more about that. The only real difference is that one of them uses magic and the other does not. There are cultural and societal differences that comes with that of course, but does it have to be like that? Jongin knows that this is a dangerous thought because he might get in serious trouble with the Ministry, but he can’t help but question it in his head. 

 

\--

 

It is unclear how it happens really but Jongin finds himself inviting Sehun to come and watch one of his performances. Something in the back of his mind tells him it is a bad idea but he has come to really enjoy Sehun’s company. Just sitting on a bench in a park, watching Vivi run around on a long leash and chatting with Sehun has become a new favorite pastime. So it felt natural to share something of his own. 

 

“I do little magic performances in Hongdae sometimes, if you want to come and watch. Next time is on Tuesday,” he says out of the blue. 

 

“Oh, you do? That’s pretty cool.” Sehun sounds a little surprised. “I think I am free on Tuesday. What time?”

 

Sehun has gotten more talkative as they got to know each other more. He is now more straightforward than he was before and isn’t constantly flustered.

 

“I’m usually there at 7pm.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be there.” 

 

Jongin can’t help but smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

\--

 

Sehun looks down at his phone, making sure he is walking in the right direction to get to where Jongin will be performing. He realizes this is the first time they are meeting without Vivi. That is an odd thought. For some reason Vivi has always been there, and usually acting as the excuse for them to meet up. But Sehun has to admit that he enjoys Jongin’s company. And he doesn’t  _ need _ Vivi as an excuse anymore, even if bringing his dog is very convenient. Taking Vivi for a walk  _ and _ meeting up with a friend, because he has come to realize that he sees Jongin as a friend, is a great way of hitting two birds with one stone, so to say. But now he is excited to see Jongin on his own too!

 

He is closing up on a small crowd and he realizes Jongin has already started. Sehun checks the time.

 

7.03pm

 

He probably hasn’t been going for long then. 

 

Sehun joins the small crowd and listen to Jongin go on about the wonders of magic, using grand gestures and even grander words while capturing his audience. 

 

He is confident. Sehun is a little impressed. Jongin has been friendly and kind of forward ever since they met. But this is a new experience. Jongin is confident and charismatic, talking to and engaging with his audience. Sehun feels himself being pulled in and soon he marvels at Jongin’s skill. Sehun has no idea of how Jongin does the tricks and is thoroughly entertained the whole thirty minutes the show goes on.

 

There are colorful tissues flying around and disappearing again, cards being plucked from behind the ears of people in the audience and there are sparks flying from the tip of Jongin’s wand. It is one of those typical magician wands, black with white ends. Sehun wonders why they always look like that. 

 

Once Jongin is done he bows to the audience and thanks them for their tips and their time. As the crowd starts to dissolve Jongin takes off his cape and hat and begins packing up his equipment. Sehun walks up to him and congratulates him on his success. 

 

“Woah, you are really good!” 

 

Jongin looks up and when he sees Sehun a big smile spreads on his face. “You actually came!”

 

“Of course I did! And it was well worth it because that half an hour just flew by. I never knew you were so good at magic.”

 

Jongin laughs. “I guess we just never talked about it.”

 

“I guess we never did. Now you have me curious, though. How do you do it?”

 

Jongin closes the zipper on his bag and lifts it up with a smirk on his lips. “Secrets of the profession,” is all he says. 

 

“What? Can’t you let me in on some of the secrets at least? As your friend am I not allowed to know a little?”

 

Jongin laughs. “If you ask the right questions I  _ might _ answer, but let’s get going. I’m starving!” Jongin starts walking towards the subway station and Sehun follows, trying to figure out where to start with the questions. He has concluded that Jongin probably will not answer if Sehun asks how he does a certain trick. Maybe he will confirm or deny if Sehun correctly guesses how to do a trick, but Sehun knows next to nothing about magic tricks. For now his safest bet is trying to figure out more about the general workings of being a magician.

 

As they get down to the platform and wait for the train to arrive Sehun speaks again. “I was thinking about something while you were performing. Why is it that all wands are black with white tips?”

 

“Ah, you are onto something there.”

 

“Hmmm…” Sehun tries to figure out what that hint meant. They board the train as Sehun keeps trying to figure it out. He starts to think out loud in an attempt to get Jongin to spill more beans. “I know you keep touching the wand to different things but I doubt that actually does anything.” Jongin looks amused so Sehun keeps going. 

 

“You were also waving it around a lot.” Jongin makes a noise of approval so Sehun latches on to that thought.

 

“Why were you waving it, though? Were you trying to hypnotize us? Because I am pretty sure it did not work on me if that was the case.”

 

Jongin snorts in amusement. “Okay, I’ll give it to you this once. The waving of the wand is supposed to act as a distraction for the audience. By making them look at the wand it is easier to perform the trick because their focus is distracted from what is actually going on.”

 

“Why is the wand black and white, though?”

 

“I am not entirely sure, but I think the white is drawing more attention to the tip of the wand than if it had been all black. That is what I assume because I find that those wands tend to work better than all black ones.”

 

Sehun nods slowly. “That makes a lot of sense.”

 

They are almost at their stop and Sehun shelves further questions at the back of his mind. He is curious but it can wait. 

 

As they walk out of the subway station Sehun is about to head off in his direction when Jongin stops him with a gentle touch on his arm. 

 

“Do you wanna come over for a meal?” Jongin asks. Sehun hadn’t expected that but finds himself with a warm and pleasant feeling spreading in his chest. He looks at the time. It’s nearing 8pm and Vivi has been home alone for a little over an hour, he concludes. He really wants to hang out more with Jongin so he decides to take him up on the offer. “But I can’t stay for more than a couple hours. I need to get home to Vivi before 11pm.”

 

“Of course! You don’t have to come over if you can’t,” Jongin is quick to emphasize. 

 

“No, I want to!” Sehun exclaims. “I just need to make sure to have Vivi with me another time so I can stay for longer. I enjoy spending time with you, Jongin, so this is not an excuse to get to leave early without hurting your feelings. I just need to get home and take care of Vivi. But I’d love to stay for a couple hours.”

 

“Oh,” is all Jongin says, a little mollified by Sehun’s straightforward response. He smiles. “I’m happy you like spending time with me.”

 

Sehun blushes. He hadn’t planned to have such an outburst of emotion, but it was all true and it felt good to know that Jongin was now aware. 

 

\--

 

Sehun hasn’t really been in Jongin’s home before, besides standing in the hallway for a couple of minutes. No muggles have really been in Jongin’s home before to be honest. He quickly scans his apartment looking for any magical things working on anything. Nothing. Good. 

 

When he’s taken off his shoes he hears a noise behind him and almost shits himself when his roomba comes around a corner. His roomba is enhanced by magic for convenience and was a garbage pile find that probably wouldn’t be working if it wasn’t for the magic. It looks normal though, so Sehun would have no reason for getting suspicious of it. But that millisecond of worry had come crashing down violently and he has to sit down and let out a relieved sigh. 

 

“Are you okay, Jongin?” Sehun sounds worried. 

 

“Yeah, my roomba just scared me, that’s all.”

 

The meal was a quiet deal with them talking about this and that. Sehun asked some more questions about magic that Jongin carefully avoided. There is only so much he can say about the arts of fake magic without his own real magic tricks being revealed. 

 

When it’s time for Sehun to leave Jongin sees him off at the door. 

 

“I wouldn’t mind doing this again,” he says as Sehun puts on his shoes. 

 

“Me neither. It was nice. And I’d like to watch you perform again.” He smiles. “You are really good, you know.”

 

Jongin chuckles. “I’m good enough.”

 

Sehun gently grabs Jongin’s forearm. “No. You are really good.” 

 

“Thank you.” Jongin averts his eyes, a little flustered. He notices how Sehun’s fingers linger a moment at his arm. 

 

After a moment of silence Sehun says, “I really need to get home to Vivi now.”

“See you around, Sehun”

 

\--

 

Jongin is starting to feel a bit worried. Sehun has come to more of his performances and keeps asking about how the magic works. He asks very gently but he seems so curious that Jongin wishes he could tell him everything. Keeping his magic abilities a secret gets harder and harder the more he realizes he likes Sehun. He likes spending time with Sehun and he doesn’t want to keep a secret this big from him. At the same time he worries what Sehun would think if he knew. How would he react to knowing that Jongin is a wizard, that there is a whole world of magic out there that he does not know about? Not to mention the trouble Jongin could get into if the Ministry knew that he revealed his identity. What should he do? His feelings are growing and with them his troubles. 

 

They still go on walks a couple times a week and it is nice. Jongin enjoys it very much and Vivi makes sure they never have a boring moment even when conversation die out between Sehun and Jongin. 

 

Sehun brings Vivi when he comes over now too. Vivi spent the first few visits sniffing around the apartment. Jongin is not surprised. The entire apartment is coated in magic after all. 

 

It is after another close call with magic items that Jongin decides that he probably has to tell Sehun if he wants their friendship to continue, especially since it seems to be heading towards something else. They are closer now, physically, and a few times they have almost cuddled while watching TV at Sehun’s place. The first time Vivi had been stretched out across their laps but when he got too warm and left they realized how close they had gotten to accommodate the dog.

 

The day when several of Jongin’s cleaning supplies decided that they did not appreciate being stuffed away and made an unsuccessful attempt, thankfully, to escape did mark the turning point for him. He would have to tell Sehun and just hope that it would not shock him too much. 

 

The loud crash in the small storage closet had startled both Sehun and Jongin, but Jongin had hurried to sort it out with an excuse that he probably had put too much in there and that it had been on the verge of falling apart for a while now. 

 

\--

 

He decides to invite Sehun and Vivi over for dinner and drop the bomb on him then. That way Sehun can leave if he feels like he needs to and Jongin will have to deal with any clean up. It is only fair because he will be the one dropping the messy news in Sehun’s lap. 

 

Sehun looks very happy when he arrives, and Vivi tries to tackle Jongin to the ground, as usual. Sehun is giggly today and keeps brushing his hand against Jongin’s. Jongin feels his gut tighten at the thought of letting Sehun in on his secret. Sehun is so happy and Jongin is about to ruin it. He tries to tell himself that if he wants this to continue Sehun needs to know the whole truth. It would not be fair otherwise, not to mention how difficult it would be considering how much in his life is connected to the use of magic. It has worked up until now, but only barely, and it has partially been thanks to luck and partially thanks to Sehun not being in Jongin’s home more than for a few hours at the time. 

 

After they’ve eaten Jongin tells Sehun that he has something important to tell him. “I’d tell you not to worry, but I don’t know how you are gonna react.” Sehun looks worried at that. Oops, wrong thing to say, but there is no going back now. 

 

They sit down at opposite ends of Jongin’s sofa and Sehun is hugging Vivi in his arms.

 

Jongin takes a deep breath and starts. “You know how Vivi reacted to the owl in my backyard? And how he always sniffed me a lot in the beginning? I think I know why.”

 

\--

 

Sehun’s stomach is in a tight knot. Jongin is about to share something and judging by his worried expression it’s something serious. Sehun had come here today planning on making a move. He and Jongin have been skirting around each other for some time and even if it took Sehun some time to admit it, he’d been carefully flirting with Jongin ever since he moved on from the embarrassment of Vivi barking at that owl. But tonight is not going the way Sehun wanted. He’d had his goal set on a pair of lips but here they are and having a Serious Talk and Sehun is worried. 

 

Then Jongin mentions Vivi smelling him a lot and Sehun’s stomach drops. “Do you have cancer?” he blurts. Sehun has heard that dogs can smell cancer and sometimes have been the reason their owners get treatment before it is too late. 

 

Jongin seems taken aback. “What? No, that is not it.” He lets out a breathy laugh, some tension seeming to seep out of him. “No, I’m fine. I’m healthy. That is not what this is about.”

 

Sehun feels his shoulders drop in relief. He swats at Jongin. “You scared me!”

 

“Sorry,” Jongin laughs, then he deflates. “Um… so, what I was actually gonna tell you…” He rubs his face with his hand. “This might sound completely bonkers, but you know how I do magic performances?”

 

“What, are you gonna tell me you are a magician?” Sehun chuckles. 

 

Jongin whinces. “Yes…” It sounds like a question. 

Sehun starts to laugh but stops when Jongin doesn’t join him. 

 

“Wait, are you serious?”

 

“Yes.” It sounds small and very unlike Jongin. Jongin is happy and confident in himself. He is kind and caring, but the Jongin in front of Sehun looks so small and worried. 

 

Sehun finds no words. He opens and closes his mouth several times but no words are coming out. Is Jongin serious? How is he supposed to believe this?

 

“I think Vivi can smell the magic,” Jongin says gently. He gets up. “I want to show you some things I can do.” He returns with a stick about as long as his forearm. No, not a stick. A wooden wand. He waves it around and says a word. Sparks shoot from the top of it. He says another word and the tip shines bright. At another word the light is extinguished but a mug comes flying from the kitchen counter. 

 

Sehun still can’t find any words, this time stunned to silence. Vivi is still in his arms and is sniffing the air. He doesn’t seem uncomfortable at all. Sehun on the other hand can’t grasp it. He is confused. 

 

“But how?” is all he gets out. 

 

“I’m a wizard. I’m a part of the wizarding world, even if I live in your world, the muggle world.

 

There are more like Jongin? A whole world? And Sehun was not aware of it? How do you respond to this?

 

“I… I think I need to digest this.” 

 

Jongin nods. “Take your time.”

 

\--

 

Sehun leaves with Vivi and Jongin slumps to the floor after the door closes. He tries to tell himself that it isn’t a disaster at least. It could have been so much worse. Sehun could have called him insane, he could have stormed out, he could have told him to never get in touch again. Instead he had said that he needed some time to take it in. That kind of implies that he wants them to work. 

 

Soon he runs out of reassuring things to say to himself and doubt is gnawing at him. After a while he decides it is no use sitting on the floor and feeling awful. Sehun needed time so that is what he is going to give him. Meanwhile he will try to live his life as normal as possible. He goes to do the dishes and clean up after their meal. 

 

\--

 

It is easier said than done to live life as normal, especially when Sehun has become such an important part of his life. He tries to keep himself busy so he doesn’t have much time to worry. He writes another lengthy letter to the Ministry but can’t help but think of the first time when he saw Sehun and Vivi. He makes the owl’s resting place in his tree more comfortable but all he can think of is how fascinated Vivi was by the owl. He meticulously cleans all cages in the magical animal store but his thoughts drifts to Sehun and how much he loves and cares for Vivi. He performs magic in Hongdae but his brain keeps reminding him of Sehun’s look of wonder whenever he came to watch the performances. 

 

The days go by at snail’s pace and Jongin fights every second to give Sehun the space that he needs. His thoughts violently swings back and forth between telling himself not to worry too much and trying not to get his hopes up.

 

It takes four days, but it feels like an eternity. On the fourth day there is a knock on Jongin’s door and he almost tips over his chair from how fast he gets up. 

 

On the other side of the door is Sehun and Vivi. Sehun has a shy smile on his lips and Jongin wants to throw himself in Sehun’s arms. He holds himself back. Sehun has still not said anything so Jongin is still not in the clear. 

 

“You wanna come for a walk?”

 

It feels like a step back in their relationship, but at least there is something, Jongin tells himself. 

 

Jongin nods in agreement. “That sounds good.”

 

\--

 

They are silent at first, just watching Vivi smell everything. Jongin is waiting for Sehun to say something. Finally he does.

 

“It took me some time to process. Just understanding that there is magic took its pretty little time. But I saw what you did so I just had to accept it. Understanding why you didn’t tell me earlier took longer.” He goes silent and seems to collect his thoughts. 

 

“At first I felt a little betrayed. Why did you not trust me enough to tell me earlier? Then I thought that maybe you worried that I wouldn’t take it very well, which was kind of true. And then I went back and forth between that a few times before deciding to trust your decision. So here I am, hoping that we can make the best of what is.”

 

Jongin hums. “I don’t blame you for feeling upset. In a perfect world I’d want to tell people right away, to know which ones are worth keeping around. But the Ministry, kind of like our government, don’t like that. So I was torn between wanting to tell you when you first asked how I do my magic tricks, but also not getting into trouble with the Ministry. I wanted to be honest with you, though, so I decided to bet on you taking it well enough.” Jongin chuckles lightly. “And it seems it didn’t go awful. At least you are still talking to me.”

 

“You don’t give me enough credit. Or maybe it is yourself you should thank. I want to keep you around. I think I care too much about you for this to completely destroy what we have going on.”

 

“What exactly is it that we have going on?” Jongin carefully asks.

 

Sehun throws him a glare, but without any real sting. His cheeks are tinted. “I think there are some feelings here. Unless I have read into this completely wrong.” 

 

Jongin feels a smile slowly spread across his face. “I don’t think you’ve got that wrong.” He brushes his hand against Sehun’s.

 

Sehun looks away but his cheeks are turning bright pink. 

 

“I want this. But I think we need to take it a little slow. I still need to get used to this, and I have many questions. And if you have any more huge secrets I’d like to get to know them now, before I get more invested in you.”

 

“Of course, but I think you know my biggest one already.” 

 

Jongin understands the importance of this. There needs to be trust there so feelings can blossom. And he is willing to work to build that trust. He looks at Sehun. Yes, he is very willing to work for it. “You are very cute when you blush,” he finds himself teasing. 

 

“Shut up,” Sehun mumbles, cheeks still bright pink. 

 

“You’re supposed to say something back.” Jongin keeps teasing. 

 

“Fine. You’re very attractive when you are performing.”

 

“I am?”

 

“Yes! You get this look on your face and you almost sparkle from all the attention you get.”

 

“Wow, Sehun, that was beautiful. Thank you! You really have a way with words, you know that, right?” He brushes his hand against Sehun’s. 

 

Sehun hooks a finger around Jongin’s pinky. “I try.”

 

\--

 

It takes them some time, and Jongin keeps reminding himself to take it slow and always check in with Sehun, but after a while they seem to have a strong foundation of trust. 

 

Sehun is curious and asks questions about magic and the wizarding world, and Jongin answers as best as he can. 

 

Vivi takes some time to get used to magic appliances flying around and doing chores. At first he seemed to think it was some kind of game and tried to chase them. Eventually he tires of it and prefers to look at the owl in the back garden. She still eyes Vivi suspiciously and never lands on the ground when he is around. 

 

Sehun keeps telling Jongin to not give the owl too many treats. “It is not good for it,” he says. Jongin reminds him that he gives Vivi too many treats and Sehun has no defense for that. 

 

Jongin is thankful for both animals. They deserve treats. It is because of them that he met Sehun, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear what you thought of this story, and if you enjoyed it please consider leaving kudos ^-^ it makes me super happy and encourages me to keep doing this


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